Winning isn't anything new to fans of the Des Moines Buccaneers.
Over the past two seasons, the Bucs have captured four of the six major championships (Anderson Cup, Clark Cup, Gold Cup) that USHL teams are eligible to win. In the other two, Des Moines was the runner-up.
With the majority of last year's squad departing, including coach Scott Owens, many USHL observers thought this might be an off year for the Bucs, similar to the 1995-96 season that followed the Bucs' last triple crown.
Don't count on that happening. Des Moines has several key elements in place from last season's team and has produced another stellar recruiting class. As a result, the Bucs are again the team to beat in the West Division.
Repeating as division champs will be far from automatic. Lincoln, Sioux Falls, Omaha and Sioux City all have the talent to capture the division title, and the difference between first and fifth could be very small.
Following are team capsules for the seven West Division teams, in order of predicted finish.
1. DES MOINES
In the past two years, the Buccaneers have won two Anderson Cups, one Clark Cup, and one national championship. Although some of the faces on the ice and behind the bench have changed, the Bucs have once again poised themselves to make a run at the USHL's biggest prizes.
Tom Carroll enters his first season at the helm after Owens accepted the head coaching job at his alma mater, Colorado College. The cupboard isn't bare for Carroll, however. Slovak sensation Peter Sejna returns for his second season after an inaugural campaign that saw him finish fourth in USHL scoring (40-23-63). A face from the past will return to the Bucs' lineup, as Alex Kim rejoins the Bucs following two years at Miami University (CCHA). Kim skated with the Bucs in 1996-97, posting 47 points (25-22-47) and 94 penalty minutes.
Jerrid Reinholz returns for his second season following a successful rookie year that saw him post 42 points (18-24-42). Fiesty forward Kelly Miller has stepped up his game in the preseason, and should be a key element in the success of this year's Bucs.
Landon Bathe, a 17-year-old from Scarborough, Maine, has made his presence felt in more ways than one during the preseason. Bathe has used his hard-nosed style and solid checking to introduce himself to USHL opponents, and is primed for a stellar rookie campaign.
Defenseman Felipe Larranaga will be called upon to lead a young defensive corps for the Bucs. Newcomer Paul Baumgartner, who played for Minnesota high school champion Roseau in 1998-99, has looked solid through the preseason. At 6'2", 215, Baumgartner has good size to go with his strong defensive play.
In goal, Mike Mantua and returner Frank Berenguer will likely split the action. Mantua, a 19-year-old from Northville, Mich., joins the Bucs from the NAHL's Danville Wings, and has been solid through the preseason. Berenguer played in 13 games for Des Moines last season, posting a 2.82 goals against average and a 90.5 save percentage.
If all the pieces fall into place, the Bucs have a good chance at winning their third Anderson Cup in as many years. Even if there's a few unexpected road bumps, the Bucs won't fall too far from their perch at the top.
2. LINCOLN
With 13 returning players from last year's 29-20-7 squad, the Stars look to be in good shape for the 1999-2000 season. That's the good news.
Now for the bad news.
Although eight of the veterans are forwards, those 13 players (including goaltender Wayne Russell) return just a combined 91 goals of firepower. That number drops to 68 if you do not include forward Chris Fournier. As a result, the Stars could once again struggle offensively, much as they did before acquiring Eric Maksimenko and Drew Otten in mid-season trades last year.
Fournier will be called upon to lead the offense in this, his third year in the league. As a 16-year-old last season, Fournier led the Stars with 56 points (23-33-56). The 5'7" Fournier should receive plenty of help from Preston Callendar, who notched 25 points (14-11-25) in his rookie season. Callendar's game improved throughout the year last season, and he owns one of the best shots on the Lincoln roster.
Power forward Kyle Anderson, who has commanded the attention of NHL scouts, will be a key factor for the Stars this year. In his rookie year, the 6'3", 207-pound Anderson posted 20 points (9-11-20) and appeared in the all-star game. Another face to watch on offense is third year forward Andy Lundbohm, who posted 26 points (12-14-26) in an injury-plagued campaign.
On the blueline, the Stars have four returners, including Nick Fouts, Lee Marvin, Andy Schneider and Joe Markusen. The scrappy Fouts has caught the eye of several college scouts and should anchor Lincoln's defensive corps this year. Marvin, whose 6'1" frame has him pegged as a pro prospect, will also be a key defenseman this year.
The last line of defense looks solid with Russell returning for his third season between the pipes. In 1998-99, Russell posted a 2.81 goals against average and a 91.1 save percentage in 34 games.
The biggest question in Lincoln remains the offense. This could be important when it comes to the power play, as Lincoln's power play ranked 12th out of 13 USHL teams last season at 17.6 percent. Still, the Stars could be just one or two snipers away from making a run at the Anderson Cup.
3. SIOUX FALLS
In 1995-96, the now-defunct Fargo-Moorhead Bears started to rewrite the USHL's rules for expansion teams with a third place finish in the 11-team league. The following season, the Lincoln Stars threw away the unofficial rulebook that says expansion teams have to struggle when they walked away with the Clark Cup in their inaugural season.
With the Bears and Stars as a model, the Sioux Falls Stampede have quietly assembled a squad that should follow suit. Following the lead of Lincoln, who hired respected coach Steve Johnson to lead the young franchise, the Stampede hired Bob Motzko, a very familiar face to long-time USHL fans. Known as someone who always got the most out of the talent on hand, Motzko led the North Iowa Huskies for four seasons, including the 1988-89 campaign that saw the Huskies win the national championship. Since then, he has spent six years at Miami and two years at Denver as associate head coach and recruiting coordinator. Assistant coaches Tony Gasparini and Bill Ward come to the Stampede from the Omaha Lancers and the successful Iowa State hockey program, so the bench bosses know what it takes to win.
The Stampede have shown they also know what it takes to be successful at the box office. With about half of their 4,600 seats sold as season tickets, the Stampede are guaranteed to be among the league's attendance leaders. Pep rallies, promotions with several area businesses, special sections in the local paper, and other events have taken place before the team has even played its first regular season game.
As far as the on-ice product goes, the Stampede appear to have assembled a squad loaded with goal scorers, much as Lincoln did in their first season. Rick Gorman impressed Buc Bowl fans with four goals in a 6-4 loss to Des Moines. The 6'0", 201-pound Gorman looks to be one of the anchors on offense. Other forwards to watch includee J.B. Bittner, Jared Hanowski, and Mike Doyle.
The Stampede have size on defense, as they feature five defenseman 6' or taller. Twin towers Brian Bielinski (6'4", 173) and Donny DeMars (6'3", 204) join veteran junior defensemen Reed Whiting (6'2", 204) who played for Rochester last season and Mike Lubesnick (5'10", 191) who skated for Springfield (NAHL) last season.
If the Stampede remind a few people of the Stars in their inaugural season, they should. And if the rest of the USHL isn't already taking this team seriously, they should.
4. OMAHA
Gone are the names like Jed Ortmeyer, Tony Zasowski, and Mike Lucci. In fact, of the 234 goals the Lancers scored in 1998-99, the players responsible for 154 of those goals are no longer in Omaha.
So what makes the Lancers a contender for the East Division title? The answer lies, or more correctly, stands, between the pipes. Goaltender Dan Ellis has been spectacular through the preseason, beating Des Moines almost single-handedly in the Buc Bowl. Ellis, who hails from Orangeville, Ontario, should continue the recent tradition of excellent Lancer goaltenders.
Goaltending alone won't win most games, however. The Lancers return five forwards, led by Scott Turner. Turner scored 42 points (19-23-42) last season, and will be looked upon to carry much of the offensive load this year. Paul Caponigri, who scored 33 points (18-15-33) last season, will join Turner up front.
Omaha returns three blueliners, including Erik Skaug, Brett Davis and Jason Platt. The 19-year-old Skaug returns for his third season in the USHL, and should be one of the league's top defensemen this season.
Although the Lancers might not appear to be as solid top to bottom as they were last season, Omaha should not be taken lightly, especially with Ellis in goal. History shows that the Lancers reload rather than rebuild, and there is no reason to believe the trend will change this year.
5. SIOUX CITY
With standout Ukranian forward Ruslan Fedotenko in the lineup, the Musketeers were never out of a game in the 1998-99 season. Fedotenko was second in the USHL in goals (43) and points (77), and quarterbacked Sioux City's power play, which ranked third in the league at 22.2 percent.
That was then, this is now.
Fedotenko has moved to the pros, signing a contract with the Philadelphia Flyers organization. While the Muskies return 11 players including goaltender Michael Betz, those players combined for just 51 goals in 1998-99. Naturally, the question in Sioux City is offense, or the apparent lack thereof.
Leading the way up front is Tyler Palmiscno, who was third in league scoring last year with 70 points (13-57-70), and is the league's top returning scorer. However, many of those 57 assists came on Fedotenko goals, especially on the power play in the cozy confines of the Sioux City Auditorium. Although Palmiscno's 13 goals show he can score in his own right, his skills appear to be best utilized as a playmaker.
Palmiscno might have a chance to be the playmaker for Chris Olsgard, who posted 38 points (11-27-38) last season. The 6'2", 195-pound Olsgard posted 150 penalty minutes last season, and exemplifies the hard working, gritty attitude that has been successful in the past for Sioux City. Enforcer Chad Nordhagen returns for his third season after posting 10 points (6-4-10) and 100 penalty minutes in 27 games last year.
Sioux City should have no problem keeping pucks out of the net. David Hale, Tim Judy, Chad Dahlen and A.J. Kratofil anchor an experienced defensive corps. Hale was very solid in his rookie season, while Dahlen continues to be a steadying force on the blueline. Newcomer Sukias Akopyan of Glendale, Calif., should continue the recent trend of strong USHL players from the Golden State.
Betz returns in goal after a standout rookie season that saw him post a 2.46 goals against average and a 91.1 save percentage in 25 appearances. If Betz repeats his rookie season success, don't be surprised if the Muskies move up several spots in the standings.
Still, for Sioux City to contend for the division title, they will have to find a goal scorer. In addition, a more balanced attack than they had last season will be necessary to advance past the first round of the playoffs, something the Muskies have not done since 1995-96. In the first round last year, Lincoln successfully shut down the Fedotenko line, which sent the Muskies home early.
6. FARGO-MOORHEAD
One year ago, the Ice Sharks entered the USHL season with plenty of optimism, and for good reason. The Sharks were coming off a successful sophomore season that featured an amazing year by forward Tyler Arnason, and optimism abounded for 1998-99.
Arnason moved onto St. Cloud after the 1997-98 season, however, and the Sharks weren't the same in 1998-99. The Ice Sharks posted the league's worst record at 14-41-1, and scored just 164 goals, a drastic change from the previous season's high scoring team.
Things look to be much better in Fargo this time around. The Sharks looked solid in the preseason, then played the USA Under 18 team tough in the opening weekend of the regular season, leaving Ann Arbor with one point following a shootout loss.
The Ice Sharks will look to newcomer Dwight Hirst to lead the offense. A 6', 190-pound forward from Lac du Bonnet, Manitoba, Hirst has been compared to fellow Manitoban Arnason. Hirst joins the Ice Sharks from Minnesota State University, where he scored six goals on 18 shots last season. In order to get him more ice time, the Mavericks have sent Hirst to the Sharks, where he should be one of the team's stars.
Steve Slaton and Ryan Ronkowski will provide Hirst with some help up front. Slaton tallied 22 points (7-15-22) last season, while Ronkowski chipped in 31 points (12-19-31) and added 99 penalty minutes in 1998-99. Patrick O'Leary, acquired in a trade with Sioux City, could be primed for a breakout season.
Powerful veteran Bryce Methven will anchor the blueline for Fargo. Methven notched 28 points (9-19-28) and 98 penalty minutes last season.
Justin Ferguson returns in goal for the Sharks. In 22 games last year, Ferguson posted a 4.51 goals against average and an 88.8 percent save percentage. His numbers likely would have been significantly better had he not been playing on the league's worst defensive team, as the Ice Sharks gave up a league-high 275 goals in 56 games.
Although the Sharks should be vastly improved from last season, they have the misfortune of playing in the extremely competitive West Division. However, if the pieces all come together, don't be surprised if Fargo moves up in the standings.
7. TWIN CITIES
After struggling at the box office for several seasons, the Vulcans were sold to Lancer owner Ted Baer prior to the 1999-2000 season. Following the season, Baer will move the franchise to Kearney, Nebraska, where the team will "add a city" and become known as the Tri-City Storm.
In central Nebraska, the Storm have already received commitments for approximately 3,000 season tickets, and a new arena is being built for them in the college town of approximately 25,000. Meanwhile, back in the Twin Cities, the Vulcans continue to struggle to get the attention of the local media. Even the announcement of the team moving was buried in the back pages of the sports in one local daily paper, while the other local daily gave it just a passing mention in a briefs column. The lack of media attention hurts in the stands as well, as the Vulcans averaged just 479 fans per game last season.
Before the move to Nebraska, the task at hand for the Vulcans is to be competitive in the tough West Division. Twin Cities had no trouble on opening weekend, picking up a 5-4 win on the road against defending East Division champion Green Bay.
Last season, the Vulcans tied with in-state rival Rochester for the final playoff spot, but went as the eighth seed because the Vulcans had two more wins than the Mustangs (Twin Cities was 22-34-0, Rochester was 20-32-4).
Head coach Jim Hillman has been introduced to the central Nebraska community as the Storm's first coach, so job security through the changes will not be a concern for Hillman.
If the off-ice distractions of a pending move do not distract the Vulcans too much, Twin Cities has the firepower to make some noise in the West Division. However, once again, the competitive nature of the division makes it very difficult to break into the upper echelon.
